# Help coin a new word: people attracted to men, people attracted to women **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 11, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986 "2011-02-11T03:55:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/1 "2011-02-11T03:55:50Z")
I’m starting to think the English language needs a word for people who are attracted to men, and people who are attracted to women. Traditionally you’d simply write “men” and “women” under the assumption that everyone was straight (e.g., “Women go crazy for Colin Firth” or “Men love the Dallas cheerleaders”), but with increased LGBT awareness, that can be a little awkward. So rather than saying “Straight women and gay men love…” or even “Straight men, gay women, and bisexual people of either gender…”, can we think of creative (but simple/useable/memorable/idiomatic) words that encompass the spectrum of people who are attracted to men, and the spectrum of people who are attracted to women? (Mods: Put in Cafe Society since it’s a language question, but move at will!) ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/2 "2011-02-11T03:58:09Z")
Hmm…how about “Androsexual” and “Gynosexual?” EDIT: I googled them and apparently people use these. And here I was thinking my Latin and Greek classes were paying off… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/3 "2011-02-11T03:58:25Z")
Lady-lovers and… uh, man-fans. EDIT: Or use **antonio107** ’s terms. I like those better. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/4 "2011-02-11T03:58:50Z")
gynophiles and androphiles? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/5 "2011-02-11T04:04:21Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > Hmm…how about “Androsexual” and “Gynosexual?” > [@TravisFromOR](#): > > gynophiles and androphiles? I think I like **antonio107** ’s terms better, they sound less like something you get arrested for. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/6 "2011-02-11T04:07:23Z")
:smack: Yeesh, gynophiles (-sexuals) and androphiles (-sexuals) - I should have thought of that! Smart bunch here - three responses in one minute. Okay, I don’t know if there’ll be a better classically derived pair of terms. They do feel, however, a bit clinical (to me, anyways). Any other contenders for something more casual? The equivalent of “straight” or “gay” as opposed to “heterosexual” or “homosexual”? ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/7 "2011-02-11T04:12:04Z")
In that case, let me reiterate: lady-lovers and man-fans. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/8 "2011-02-11T04:14:32Z")
boobers and manfans I like manfans a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/9 "2011-02-11T04:16:33Z")
Wikipedia says that it would be gyne- not gyno- > **[Androphilia and gynephilia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androphilia_and_gynephilia)** > > Androphilia and gynephilia are terms used in behavioral science to describe sexual orientation, as an alternative to a gender binary homosexual and heterosexual conceptualization. Androphilia describes sexual attraction to men or masculinity; gynephilia describes the sexual attraction to women or femininity. Ambiphilia describes the combination of both androphilia and gynephilia in a given individual, or bisexuality. > The terms are used for identifying a person's objects of attraction without att... ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/10 "2011-02-11T04:18:36Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > :smack: Yeesh, gynophiles (-sexuals) and androphiles (-sexuals) - I should have thought of that! Smart bunch here - three responses in one minute. > > Okay, I don’t know if there’ll be a better classically derived pair of terms. They do feel, however, a bit clinical (to me, anyways). Any other contenders for something more casual? The equivalent of “straight” or “gay” as opposed to “heterosexual” or “homosexual”? Well, we use hetero and homo quite liberally…what about “Andro” and “Gyno?” ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/11 "2011-02-11T06:58:21Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I think I like **antonio107** ’s terms better, they sound less like something you get arrested for. 🙂 Yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/12 "2011-02-11T07:10:13Z")
Thank you, **Rodgers01**! I’ve thought the same thing, and have even considered asking the board about it, but never got around to it. Quoth **antonio107** : > [@](#): > > Well, we use hetero and homo quite liberally…what about “Andro” and “Gyno?” That, though, I think would get confusing. If I were to hear that someone was an “andro”, I would assume that it was the person emself who was male, which would be about 90% likely to be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/13 "2011-02-11T07:33:40Z")
Estrogen-sniffers and testosterone fiends? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/14 "2011-02-11T07:44:51Z")
The thing about the philos root ist that it doesn’t necessarily imply sex: yes, it has gotten that meaning, but it’s somewhat of a distortion. Philosophy is not “wanting to have sex with knowledge”; androphilia could mean “enjoying the company of men” without wanting to have sex with them. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/15 "2011-02-11T07:53:46Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > The thing about the philos root ist that it doesn’t necessarily imply sex: yes, it has gotten that meaning, but it’s somewhat of a distortion. Philosophy is not “wanting to have sex with knowledge”; androphilia could mean “enjoying the company of men” without wanting to have sex with them. You do know that “enjoys the company of men” used to be a euphemism for being a homosexual, right? ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/16 "2011-02-11T09:42:53Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Philosophy is not “wanting to have sex with knowledge” I’ve been doing it wrong all these years!!! My apologies to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/17 "2011-02-11T10:41:09Z")
I know this isn’t GD but it bothers me greatly when people want to ‘PC-up’ the language by trying to cram some ridiculous artificial term in from the ‘top down’. Words should only get created and more importantly **used** strictly from organic necessity. IOW from the ‘bottom up’. Remember Ms.? There wasn’t anything wrong with that term itself, but how often do you ever hear it today? ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/18 "2011-02-11T11:10:35Z")
Herpes & Hemis. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/19 "2011-02-11T11:37:52Z")
Well, androphyles like to eat sausage, so they are “Germans” Gynephyles like to eat pussy, therefore they are… um… “Chinese”? I don’t know, I got nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986/20 "2011-02-11T12:05:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Quoth **antonio107** :That, though, I think would get confusing. If I were to hear that someone was an “andro”, I would assume that it was the person emself who was male, which would be about 90% likely to be wrong. And if you told me someone was a Gyno, I’d think I could call their office to schedule my annual Pap smear appointment. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-coin-a-new-word-people-attracted-to-men-people-attracted-to-women/570986.md?page=2)